ORLANDO | On Sept. 7, Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati will be canonized saints in the Catholic church. The two men, who died in their youth, continue to profoundly impact both young and old in the Church.

Brother Logan Murray of the Brotherhood of Hope at the University of Central Florida Catholic Campus Ministry is unsure when his order adopted Pier Giorgio Frassati as one of its patrons, but he knows he can relate to the soon-to-be saint. Referring to the famous photo of Blessed Frassati standing on a mountain with a walking stick and pipe in his mouth, Brother Logan noted his own quest to climb New Hampshire’s 48,000 peaks, 48 mountains that are 4,000 feet or taller. He said, “My first seven years in the Brotherhood (of Hope) I was chipping away at them. I hiked all 48, and that included smoking my pipe on the top of some of them.” He shared the adventuresome aspect of Blessed Frassati’s life. “Enjoying God’s creation and living life to the fullest inspires me,” he added.

Blessed Frassati frequently spoke the phrase verso l’alto, meaning to the heights. Brother Murray correlates it to the Brotherhood of Hope’s mission to evangelize on college campuses.

“There is always this upward pursuit in Christ,” he said. “St. Paul says Christ comes to full stature in us. We carry on the sufferings of Christ. The goal of our life is to grow in holiness,” Said Brother Murray.

Although he acknowledged he has “not arrived.” He said the hope is heaven.

“Tying into the idea of the mountaintop, I can see where I’m going. I can see I’m slowly getting closer, but it’s still strenuous to get there and it takes time,” he said.

In the spiritual life, there is a desire to holiness, to further conform to Jesus. He tries to help the students adopt the idea that we’re not just meant for living here.

“We’re called for greatness, to the heights of heaven. Verso l’alto is to have that disposition of heart, to not grow complacent in our spiritual life,” Brother Murray said.

He also noted he’s learned from Blessed Frassati’s own obedience.

“Ultimately, we’re supposed to be obedient to God, Our Father, as He has a hand in our lives and wants to lead us on. That’s how we experience the fullness of life.”

The future saint’s commitment to community also impacts the Brotherhood. Brother Murray noted their common fraternal life as a source of strength in the upward climb to holiness.

During the Jubilee of Youth, Brother Sawyer Phillips visited Rome and Blessed Frassati related sites, his tomb at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Church and the Frassati summer home outside Turin.

“As I knelt before his casket praying, asking for Blessed Pier Giorgio’s intercession for the various intentions I had on my heart, I felt a nearness to him and a closeness to the Lord. This man is a brother in the Lord to me, and I felt so grateful to get to know him and that he’s a patron for our Brotherhood,” Brother Phillips said “A young man like me. A man who had a heart for the poor, a heart to give of his life. A man with a complicated family. A man who loved and loved adventure. It was just a beautiful experience for me to be able to be with him in this resting place. And I felt the call that was written on his casket, ‘to the heights’. To the Lord, to the heavens, to a life of holiness like he did in everyday life.”

Blessed Frassati was known for his love of the poor. He was a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, following in the footsteps of its founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, a 20-year-old college student in Paris, France, who was inspired to seek and find the forgotten in the name of St. Vincent de Paul, the patron saint of the poor.

Trace Trylko, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul Society in Orlando is not surprised Frassati became a Vincentian for he and Blessed Frederic Ozanam had much in common.

“More than a century after his death at only 24 years old, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati continues to inspire young people across the globe,” said Trylko. “May (he) continue to inspire young Vincentians to put their faith into action and grow in their spirituality by helping our neighbors in need across Central Florida and all over the world.”

Blessed Carlo Acutis died at the age of 15. By then he had already created a website including every Eucharistic miracle known at that time. Like Frassati, Blessed Acutis testified to everyone his great faith, and taught the importance of participating in the celebration of Mass. “To be united to Jesus, this is my life plan,” he said at age 7.

St. James Cathedral parishioner John Donahue recalled watching Acutis’s beatification while he was ill at home with COVID. “Blessed Carlo’s heroic virtue and use of the”internet made me absolutely weep,” he said. He felt inspired to go forth in a similar ministry to show the dynamism of the Catholic faith. He prayed for Blessed Acutis’s intercession and felt it gave him “a zeal” to go forth.

“I look to Blessed Carlo as a model for how to engage as a missionary on- line and how to balance technology use with prudence,” Donahue said.

“Blessed Carlo set an example for the world on how to be creative and productive with technology but not allow it to consume us or become addicted to it. Carlo did this by imposing his own rules for himself in limiting himself to one hour of video games a week so he wouldn’t become addicted or distracted from prayer.”

Donahue feels Blessed Acutis wants to tell others, “God is currently providing you with everything you need to become a saint.”

“The Catechism of the Catholic Church says each time we pray is a response to God’s grace, meaning when we feel that urge to pray, that is God’s grace making itself known to us,” Donahue said. “There is no time when God’s grace is not being offered to you. There is no place where God is not there.”

An exhibit of Blessed Acutis’s Eucharistic Miracles displayed at Most Precious Blood Parish in Oviedo just before Holy Week this year helped others understand the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Debby Kerr-Henry is not Catholic but went to the exhibit at the invitation of a friend. She said she never “really understood the Presence,” but after viewing the exhibit gained context and clarity about Presence. At age 60, she said she is questioning many things and finds herself more open.

“In this season of my life, it’s important to me to stay connected with God and examine, what does that mean? What does that look like? It’s another opportunity to revisit all of that,” she said.

At St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Wildwood, Blessed Acutis inspired adults in their 30s and 40s to establish the Blessed Carlo Acutis Society a year ago. Based in The Villages, the parish offers many opportunities for retirees, but not as much for young adults. Spencer Daniels suggested to name the group after the “millennial saint” because its members grew up in the same time frame of Blessed Acutis’s life, offering many points on which they connect. Daniels said there was the idea that “we could see ourselves in his shoes,” as someone on the road to sainthood through the life he lived.

The organization focuses on gatherings that foster social, spiritual, and community growth and service. Daniels said, “The profound things that came from someone who was only 14 years old shows you can truly live your life in a way that makes the world a better place. That can be applicable to anyone as a guide for their life.”

Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati will be canonized saints during Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Square, Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. (4 a.m. EST).

Learn more about Blessed Carlo and Blessed Pier here.

By Glenda Meekins of the Florida Catholic staff, September 4, 2025